Video captured the moment Los Angeles deputies opened fire on an alleged carjacker after a long pursuit, FOX11 reported Thursday.
The incident began with the alleged carjacking and ended with sheriff’s deputies shooting into the back of a suspected stolen Toyota, leaving the suspect in critical condition, according to FOX11.
The pursuit, which lasted an hour, saw the allegedly stolen Toyota Camry used as a deadly weapon, smashing into police and civilian vehicles, Los Angeles Sheriff Department Lieutenant Patricia Thomas told NBC4.
Video shows police pursuing the suspect, pinning the Camry up against a light pole on the sidewalk. The suspect appears to not give up, however. He appears to hit the gas, causing the tires to spin and white smoke to fill the air.
Deputies, apparently concerned that the suspect may be attempting to ram them, open fire through the back window of the car.
“It was my first time hearing live shots, so it was very scary. But also, when I got out of my car I seen like a few cops kinda like locked in arms, that protective shield, because I think the person inside the car may have also had a gun,” a witness, Casandra Martinez, told FOX11.
Deputies’ gunfire blasted out the car’s back window, ripping through the car and leaving holes in the front windshield, the outlet reported.
The suspect was “pulled out” of the car and “rushed to” a local hospital while the sidewalk was “turned into a pool of blood after bullets fly,” according to FOX11. (RELATED: Video Shows Cop Shooting Suspect After He Clings To Vehicle Door During Attempted Carjacking)
“It was very loud. Can’t compare it. It’s almost like a movie scene,” Martinez told the outlet. “Everything happened, just one thing after the other.”
“I was on the phone with my lady. Next thing you know, I hear screeching tires coming out this block right here on 17th Street. Mad sheriffs coming left and right. I was like, holy, what the, you know, what’s going on,” another witness, Bryan Fuentes, told NBC4.
The shooting is reportedly under investigation.
